Refrigerator

ABSTRACT

A refrigerator is provided. In the refrigerator, a tray is provided with one side of a shelf and the tray is separable from the shelf. A user can take out various foods at a time without arranging a specific tray member.

THE BACKGROUND

1. The Field

This document relates to a shelf structure of a refrigerator.

2. Description of the Related Art

In general, refrigerators are domestic appliances to keep foods in arefrigerating or freezing state by using a circulation cycle of coldair. An internal space of refrigerator is divided into a freezercompartment based on a freezing temperature condition and a refrigeratorcompartment with a low temperature environment that is a little higherthan the freezer compartment. Further, the refrigerator may beclassified as bottom freezer type, top mount type, side-by-side type andthree-door type according to a position of the freezer compartment orinstallation structure of door.

Inside refrigerators of such various types, a plurality of shelves toefficiently use a storage space are adapted. An inside space of therefrigerator is divided by the plurality of shelves.

Therefore a user can keep food per kind inside the freezer compartmentor refrigerator compartment divided into respective sections by usingthe shelves and various kinds of and many foods can be kept in therefrigerator compartment.

However, such conventional art has the following problems.

In a refrigerator according to a conventional art, when trying to takeout food kept on a shelf from the refrigerator, a user first grasps acontainer filled with food to be drawn out by using his/her hand andthen takes out food in an opened state of refrigerator door. Thus thenumber of food items a user can stably take out from the refrigerator islimited. In particular, for example, when food items to be taken out arekept deeply in the refrigerator, it is not easy to take out the food.

To solve such problem, when taking out various food items, a user shouldprepare a specific tray and put the food items on the tray and then takeout the food items at a time. However, in this case there are problems aspace to specifically support the tray during taking out the food itemsis needed and a specific tray must be arranged in taking out food items.

THE SUMMARY

The present invention is derived to resolve the above disadvantages.

Some embodiments of the invention provide a refrigerator for which theneed to specifically arrange a tray used to take out food items kept inthe refrigerator is not required. Therefore a space or structure tosupport the tray in taking out food items is not required.

According to some embodiments of the invention, a refrigeratorcomprises: a main body having a space for storing food; a shelfhorizontally adapted in the space, to divide the space into a pluralityof sections; and a tray withdrawably adapted to an undersurface of theshelf.

As described above, in a refrigerator according to some embodiments ofthe invention, a user can easily take out various food items kept insidea refrigerator compartment or freezer compartment at a time.

In addition, a tray member used to take out various food items at a timeis provided in one body with a shelf, but separable therefrom, thus itis unnecessary to arrange a specific tray.

Furthermore, in a refrigerator according to some embodiments of theinvention, a specific structure to support a tray during taking outvarious food items is not required and a user does not need to supportthe tray by using one hand, thereby providing a relatively increasedconvenience.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating an interior structure of arefrigerator according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating a tray provided with a shelfof a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating the shelf and the traydisassembled.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along a line of A-A′ shown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a front view of tray according to an embodiment of theinvention.

FIG. 6 is a longitudinal-sectional view taken along a line of B-B′ shownin FIG. 2.

FIG. 7 is a longitudinal-sectional view of tray forward—taken out inFIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is a longitudinal-sectional view illustrating a structure ofshelf and tray according to another embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 9 is a longitudinal-sectional view illustrating a tray taken out ofa shelf.

THE DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating an interior structure of arefrigerator according to an embodiment of the invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, a refrigerator 100 according to an embodiment ofthe invention comprises a main body 110 having an internal space dividedinto a freezer compartment 200 and a refrigerator compartment 300, and afreezer door 220 and a refrigerator door 320 to selectively shield thefreezer compartment 200 and the refrigerator compartment 300.

The freezer door 220 may be provided with an ice-making assembly 240 toproduce and store ice. The refrigerator door 320 may be provided with arefrigerator home-bar unit 340 so that a user can easily take out or putin foods without opening the refrigerator door 320.

In the freezer compartment 200 and the refrigerator compartment 300,shelves 400 are adapted to divide an interior space of the refrigeratorinto a plurality of sections. An inner wall face of the main body isformed of a support structure to support both side end parts of theshelf 400.

On the other hand, a tray 500 is adapted movable and separable on abottom face of the shelf 400. The tray 500 may be sliding movableforward and backward and taken out through a manipulation of user, andmay be separated from the shelf 400 according to the need.

The structure and operation of the shelf 400 and tray 500 in arefrigerator according to an embodiment of the invention are describedmore in detail as follows, referring to the accompanied drawings.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating a tray provided with a shelfof a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 3 isa perspective view illustrating the shelf and the tray disassembled.

With reference to FIGS. 2 and 3, shelf 400 of refrigerator 100 accordingto an embodiment of the invention comprises a main body unit 420 onwhich food is put, a support unit 440 extended downward from both endparts of the main body unit 420 and mounted on the support structure,and a tray support unit 460 extended from a point inwardly distancedfrom the support unit 440, to support the tray 500.

In detail, the main body unit 420 has a width corresponding to thetransverse width of the freezer compartment 200 or refrigeratorcompartment 300. In the main body unit 420, a top face 421 and a bottomface 422 may be formed of mutually different materials, and the top face421 may be manufactured of reinforced glass plate. The support unit 440is formed extended downward from both edge parts of the main body unit420. A front end part of the support unit 440 is formed a little moreprotruded downward to become a shape of

in viewing from a side face.

Further, the front end part of the support unit 440 is formed bentdownward and so the shelf is stopped by a front end part of the supportstructure formed on the inner wall face of the main body, that is, theshelf 400 is no longer induced backward. The front end part of thesupport unit 440 serves as a stopper. Although it is herein proposed ina

shape, this may be diversely changed according to a shape of the supportstructure.

The tray support unit 460 is downward extended at a position distancedinto a center direction of the shelf 400 from the support unit 440. Avertical width of the tray support unit 460 may be the same as avertical width of front face part of the support unit 440. The distancebetween the tray support unit 460 and the support unit 440 is formedlarger than a protrusion width of the support structure protruded froman inner wall face of the main body 110 to support the support unit 440.Then the tray support unit 460 can be prevented from being interfered bythe support structure in supplied/discharged steps of the shelf 400.

On an inner wall face of the tray support unit 460, a plurality ofsupport protrusions 462 to support a bottom face of the tray 500 areformed protruded to support a bottom face of the tray 500 when the tray500 is loaded into the shelf 400.

That is, a top face of the support protrusion 462 is formed flat to putthe tray 500 and support a load of the tray 500, and at least onesupport protrusion is each formed on front and back parts of the traysupport unit 460.

On the other hand, in both side ends of front face of the shelf, a frontplate 470 is further formed to couple a front end part of the supportunit 440 and a front end part of the tray support unit 460. An openingpart 480 is formed between the front plates 470, into which the tray 500is loaded into or discharged therefrom. Thus, a width of the tray 500 isformed equal to a width of the opening part 480. On the bottom of bothside end parts of the tray 500, a plurality of stop protrusions 520 tobe interfered by the support protrusions 462 are formed. The structureof tray 500 is described more in detail as follows, referring to theaccompanied drawings.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along a line of A-A′ shown in FIG. 2.FIG. 5 is a front view of tray according to an embodiment of theinvention.

With reference to FIGS. 4 and 5, tray 500 according to an embodiment ofthe invention comprises a tray body 530 on which food is put, anextending portion 550 extended downward from a bottom face of the traybody 530, a plurality of stop protrusions 520 protruded from both sideends of the bottom of the tray body 530, and a front panel 540 formedperpendicular to the front end part of the tray body 530 and theextending portion 550.

In detail, a handle 510 is formed on a front face part of the frontpanel 540. The extending portion 550 is formed with a width smaller thanthe tray body 530 so that the support protrusion 462 protruded from aninner sidewall face of the tray support unit 460 can be prevented frombeing interfered by a side face of the extending portion 550. The stopprotrusion 520 is formed on a bottom face of the tray body 530 as aportion closely contacted with the support protrusion 462. In a loadedand discharged step of the tray 500, the stop protrusion 520 isinterfered by the support protrusion 462.

Meanwhile, with reference to FIG. 4, in fastening the tray 500 to theshelf 400, the tray body 530 is mounted on the support protrusion 462. Aside face of the extending portion 550 is in contact with an end part ofthe support protrusion 462 to prevent the tray 500 from shaking fromside to side.

Further, in a state the tray 500 is completely loaded through theopening part of the shelf, the stop protrusion 520 protruded from thebottom face of the tray body 530 is positioned behind the supportprotrusion 462. That is, it becomes a state that a back face of thesupport protrusion 462 is contacted with a front face of the stopprotrusion 520.

FIG. 6 is a longitudinal-sectional view taken along a line of B-B′ shownin FIG. 2. FIG. 7 is a longitudinal-sectional view of tray dischargedforward referred to in FIG. 6.

Referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, a back face of the stop protrusion 520 isformed with a tilt of given degrees. Thus, when the tray 500 is loadedinto, the tray 500 slides and goes over a front end part of the supportprotrusion 462 and then loaded. Further, the stop protrusions 520 arearrayed at least two in forward and backward directions so as to have atleast one stop position for a discharged step of the tray 500.

On the other hand, an interval between the support protrusion 462 andthe main body part 420 is formed to become more than a thickness of thetray body 530. That is, when a user grasps the handle 510 of the tray500 and lifts it up, there is formed a distanced space through which thestop protrusion 520 goes over the support protrusion 462.

Operation in an embodiment of the invention with the above-describedconfiguration is described as follows.

First, when a user tries to take out various foods kept in therefrigerator compartment 300 at a time, the user opens the refrigeratordoor 320 and pulls forward the tray 500 adapted in a lower side of theshelf 400.

In detail, the user grasps the handle 510 and pulls it forward in astate of lifting up the tray 500.

At this time, the stop protrusion 520 adapted on a bottom face of thetray 500 is distanced from the support protrusion 462. Then, when thestop protrusion 520 is released from the interference of the supportprotrusion 462, the user pulls forward the tray 500 and the stopprotrusion 520 goes over an upper face of the support protrusion 462 andthen moves forward.

On the other hand, when the tray 500 is taken out corresponding to alength the user desires, the user puts down the tray 500 and putsvessels of various foods the user wants to take out, on the top of thetray 500. Then, the user lifts up the tray 500 and pulls it forwarduntil the tray 500 is completely separated from the shelf 400.

FIG. 8 is a longitudinal-sectional view illustrating a structure ofshelf and tray according to another embodiment of the invention. FIG. 9is a longitudinal-sectional view illustrating a tray taken out of ashelf.

Referring to FIGS. 8 and 9, tray 500 according to an embodiment of theinvention is characterized by the stop protrusion 520 that is adaptedeach one on both side ends of bottom face of the tray body 530.

In detail, the stop protrusion 520 is adapted between the supportprotrusions 462 to limit a pulled extent of the tray 500.

In such structure according to an embodiment of the invention, when auser pushes the tray 500 in, the tray 500 can smoothly go over, slidingover the support protrusion 462, by a tilt face formed on a rear face ofthe stop protrusion 520. In a state the tray 500 is completely insertedinto, the stop protrusion 520 is positioned in the front of the supportprotrusion 462 formed in a back side. Therefore, the user can take outthe tray 500 by a given distance without lifting it up. In other words,in a state the tray body 530 is mounted on the support protrusion 462,the tray 500 can be pulled forward until the stop protrusion 529 be incontact with the support protrusion 462 formed in a front side. Onlywhen the tray 500 is completely separated from the shelf 400, user justlifts up the tray 500. It is apparent with reference to the drawingsthat a pulled limitation of the tray 500 may be determined differentlyaccording to a formation position of support protrusion 462 formed in afront side and the stop protrusion 520.

1. A refrigerator comprising: a main body having a space for storingfood; a shelf horizontally adapted in the space, to divide the spaceinto a plurality of sections; and a tray withdrawably adapted to anundersurface of the shelf.
 2. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein afront end part of the shelf is more extended downward than a side facepart thereof.
 3. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein a side inner faceof the shelf is provided with a support protrusion to support the tray.4. The refrigerator of claim 3, wherein the support protrusion isprovided in at least two at each side face part of the shelf.
 5. Therefrigerator of claim 3, wherein the side face part of the tray is incontact with an end part of the support protrusion.
 6. The refrigeratorof claim 3, wherein an undersurface of the side end of the tray, whichis contacted with a top face of the support protrusion, provided with atleast one stop protrusion.
 7. The refrigerator of claim 6, wherein thestop protrusion has a back face part which is tilted.
 8. Therefrigerator of claim 3, further comprising at least one stop protrusionprotruded from an undersurface of the tray and interfered by the supportprotrusion to establish a pulled limitation of the tray.
 9. Therefrigerator of claim 3, wherein the tray comprises: a tray body onwhich food is put; an extending portion extended from a bottom face ofthe tray body; and a front panel formed in a front face of the extendingportion and the tray body.
 10. The refrigerator of claim 9, wherein anend part of the support protrusion is in contact with a side face of theextending portion to prevent the tray from shaking from side to sideduring the tray is pulled out.